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World-renowned television producer Acun Ilicali, one of Türkiye’s most prominent media figures, revealed on the popular program ABTalks what he would want to tell his daughters if he were on his deathbed.
Responding to host Anas Bukhash’s question, Ilicali said his final words would be: “Be innocent and good. The world is a dirty place, and it is becoming dirtier every day. Remaining innocent is a great achievement. I want my daughters to stay innocent and good.”
Ilicali, who has long been passionate about motorcycles, described one of the most dangerous incidents of his life.
During a trip from Istanbul to Bodrum with his friend Esat, he nearly lost consciousness from exhaustion.
He recalled how his friend struck him in the stomach to keep him awake, warning that otherwise they could face lifelong disability or death.
They immediately pulled over, and later rested at a mosque where they fell asleep on the carpet while still wearing their helmets, an image that Ilicali said he never forgot.
He admitted that motorcycles had brought him both joy and deep pain, as he had suffered serious accidents in his youth.
His grandparents died in a car crash years before he lost his parents in another accident.
He said that experiencing loss at such a young age taught him the value of life and the people around him.
Despite broken bones, surgical plates, and the death of a close friend in a motorcycle accident, he has never given up riding.
Turning to his time at Fenerbahce, one of Türkiye’s largest football clubs, Ilicali reflected on the enormous responsibility of serving as vice president.
He described the year as the hardest of his career, as he tried to balance football administration with the filming of Survivor in the Dominican Republic and managing Hull City, the English club he owns.
The overlapping commitments, he said, created the toughest and most exhausting period of his professional life.
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